In your herb garden in October 2011
October is usually a mixed month. We can expect sunny days as well as the first frosts. This is a good month for tidying up, and for planning. Most herbs attract beneficial insects, so see if you can find space in your garden for a few more.
The new 2012 Organic Gardening Catalogue is out now. Order by phone on 0845 130 1304 or visit online at www.organiccatalogue.com. A wonderful range of herb seeds can be found on pages 62 – 65. Packets of seeds make superb Christmas presents – for you, or for someone else. Gift vouchers in a range of values are also available.
Things to do in the herb garden this month
- Clear up dead flowers and leaves and add to compost heap. Remove annuals and second year biennials that have finished flowering.
- Collect any seeds and store in a cool dry place ready for next spring.
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Fork over bare soil and mulch with leafmould where possible. Green waste compost is also suitable for winter mulching.
Comfrey
French Lavender
Parsley
Check your mint plants
for rust now - Cut back the flowered stems of marjoram and oregano to just above ground level.
- Dig out perennial weeds.
- Pot up and take inside plants such as parsley and French tarragon. They need a cool (but frost-free), sunny spot.
- Divide plants of herbaceous herbs that have become too large or are losing vigour or you just want more of them. These include such as costmary (also known as alecost), lady's mantle, chives, Welsh onions, lemon balm, comfrey, bergamot, sorrel, oregano, lovage, mints, and pennyroyal.
- Take tender herbs under cover. These include scented pelargoniums, balm of Gilead, lemon grass, lemon verbena, pineapple sage and French lavender.
In colder areas, young bay and myrtle trees will also benefit from being overwintered under cover. A cool greenhouse or conservatory is sufficient. If this is not possible, then plants should be well wrapped in something like hessian, or fleece, stuffed with straw as insulation. - Hardy herbs growing outside will slow down over winter. To keep a supply of fresh parsley, chervil, lemon thyme and salad burnet, for example, through the winter months, protected plants with mesh, fleece or cloches.
- Chives affected by either allium leaf miner, or rust, should be cut back to ground level. Put affected leaves in the green waste bin.
- Look for orange blobs on mint leaves. This disease can kill mint plants if allowed to take hold. Remove any affected leaves and put them in the green waste bin. Plants badly affected by rust should be removed completely. Do not replant in the same place. If the mint was growing in a pot, dispose of the potting compost as well as the plant, and thoroughly clean the pot before using again. The citrus-based disinfectant Citrox should be used for cleaning.
Flavour from the garden this month
Harvest plants sparingly over the winter to avoid removing too much growth as this could damage them.
- Bay (Laurus nobilis) perennial
Bay leaves are a delicious addition to soups and stews. Dry small bunches of leaves by tying together and hanging upside down in a warm, dry, dark place, such as an airing cupboard. -
Bay leaves - Marjoram (Origanum sp.) perennial
There are many different species of marjoram. They provide an evergreen groundcover in the herb garden with delicious leaves for the pot throughout the year. - Parsley (Petroselinum crispum) biennial
Protect the plant throughout the winter for a constant supply. - Rosemary (Rosmarinus officinalis) perennial
Add sprigs of rosemary to soups, casseroles and roasts. It also adds a tang to apple jelly and rosemary tea can be used as a mouthwash for bad breath. Rosemary needs well-drained soil to flourish. Plants growing in heavy clay soil are usually short-lived. This herb can be used as a shrub in its own right in the ornamental garden, or even as an informal hedge. -
Sage (Salvia sp.)
Red sage
Tricolour sage
There are many aromatic sage plants suitable for the herb garden. They provide evergreen leaves all year round. Don’t be tempted to cut back straggly plants now; wait until the spring. A delicious addition to stuffing and nut roasts.
Sage tea is a good remedy for sore throats. Gargle with a warm infusion of this herb.
- Sorrel (Rumex sp.) perennial
There are several species of sorrel suitable for the herb garden. Rumex scutatus, 'French sorrel' adds a sharp flavour to salads, omelettes and soups. This herb grows well in a container.
Organic sorrel seed available from the Organic Gardening Catalogue
- Thyme (Thymus sp) perennial
Thymes provide a useful evergreen ground cover all year round. Some thymes have a welcoming citrus flavour, suitable for vinegars and oils.
RosehipsIf there has not yet been a frost, there is still time to pick rosehips and make some rosehip syrup or jelly for those winter colds. Any hips can be used, although the ones from Rosa rugosa are the largest and juiciest.
- Take 900g of rosehips and mince them in a food processor. Add immediately to 1.8 litres of boiling water.
- Bring back to the boil then remove from the heat and leave for 15 minutes.
- Pour through a jelly bag, then return to the pan.
- Next add another 0.8 litres of boiling water, stand for another 10 minutes before pouring back through the jelly bag and returning it to the saucepan again.
- Boil until just 0.8 litre remains, then add 500g of sugar. Heat until sugar is dissolved, then boil for a further 10 minutes.
- Store in sterilised bottles in the dark.
Once opened, the syrup will only keep for a week so use small bottles. Can be taken neat or with boiling water for a vitamin C hit to ward away winter coughs and colds.
Herbs to propagate this month
Seed Sowing
- Catnep (Nepeta camphorata) perennial
Unlike the usual purple-flowered catmints, this one produces small white flowers. Sow seed in seed trays or plugs and cover with thin layer of compost or perlite. Place in warm area or provide bottom heat if possible. Dried catmint leaves can be used to stuff cat toys. - Chervil (Anthriscus cerefolium) annual
Sow seeds where plants are to grow, in a cold greenhouse or under cloches. A tasty aniseed flavoured herb for salads, cheese and egg dishes. - Parsley (Petroselinum crispum) annual/perennial
Sow in pots the greenhouse or on a sunny window ledge for a continual supply throughout the winter. A propagator with bottom heat will speed up germination.
Cuttings to take
Take semi-ripe cuttings of the following:- Bay (Laurus nobilis)
- Hyssop (Hyssopus officinalis)
- Cotton lavender (Santolina sp)
- Southernwood (Artemisia abrotanum)
- Lavenders (Lavandula sp)
- Thymes (Thymus sp)
- Curry plant (Helichrysum italicum)
- Box (Buxus sempervirens
See September for details on taking semi-ripe cuttings
Herbs for special purposes
Herbs for edging and hedging
Herbs make excellent edging plants and can be grown as an informal hedge. Low growing plants such as lavender or lady’s mantle (Alchemilla mollis) can be used to edge a path, or surround an island bed. Taller plants such as rosemary can be used as hedging between sections of the garden, or to hide an ugly fence.
Lavender and Lady's Mantle are good for edging.
Prepare planning holes with a handful of bonemeal and some leafmould or green waste compost in each, to help root development. Wait until next spring before top-dressing with garden compost. Water plants in thoroughly. If the winter is very cold and/or windy, young hedging plants will appreciate some protection. Insert canes into the soil to support windbreak material or netting for extra shelter.
Herbs in the ornamental garden
Herbs add beauty and interest to the ornamental garden, especially if they are evergreen. A tall-growing shrub, such as rosemary, will attract beneficial wildlife. Prostrate rosemary will spread and cover an unsightly manhole cover. Small clumpy herbs, such as golden marjoram, will provide a good splash of colour year-round.
back to - What to do in the garden now
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